Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sala, Slovakia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,362 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sala outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sala

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Sala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,362 in Sala.

Phuket $1,294
Sala $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,975 in Sala.

Phuket $2,204
Sala $1,975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,589 in Sala.

Phuket $3,115
Sala $2,589

Living in Phuket costs roughly 5% less than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$9.34 €8.31

-53.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$32.92 €29.29

-1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$8.91 €7.92

-2.36%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.06 €2.72

-11.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.06 €1.83

-54.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$1.41 €1.26

-64.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.39 €2.13

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.29 €2.04

58.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.05 €0.93

65.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.49 €1.32

-2.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.00 €1.78

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.53 €3.14

-38.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$9.96 €8.87

91.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.48 €6.66

-54.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$11.38 €10.13

-4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.68 €1.49

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.03 €1.81

-16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$2.29 €2.04

-4.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.61 €2.33

-18.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.37 €1.22

6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.50 €1.34

-8.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.59 €1.42

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.83 €0.74

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.79 €6.04

-34.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$3.26 €2.90

459.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$0.97 €0.86

82.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.88 €1.67

53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$1.02 €0.91

42.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$25.40 €22.60

116.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.65 €1.47

-8.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.38 €0.34

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$13.55 €12.06

-71.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.96 €1.75

-23.98%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$24.9K €22.2K

7.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$22.0K €19.6K

19.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$97.8 ฿3,285

$228 €203

-57.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.29 ฿379

$19.52 €17.37

-42.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$20.28 €18.05

-15.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$38.56 €34.31

77.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$16.33 €14.53

-33.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$9.06 €8.07

-17.99%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$530 ฿17.8K

$406 €361

30.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$7,341 €6,532

155.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$58.5 €52.0

5.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$30.14 €26.82

-6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$77.3 €68.8

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$91.3 €81.3

-4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$636 €566

13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$490 €436

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$983 €875

98.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$800 €712

74.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$3,109 €2,767

34.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$2,590 €2,305

27.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.57

56.02%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sala

$490 36% 3.7% $19

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sala

$230 16.9% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sala

$268 19.6% 112% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sala

$116 8.5% 5.7% $7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sala

$169 12.4% 41% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sala

$57 4.2% 31.8% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sala

$33 2.4% 50% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $636 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $33 in Sala. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $230, with Sala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇰 Sala

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,099

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Sala 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sala

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $2,043 in Sala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $636 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $406 in Sala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sala pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Sala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.